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Tuesday, September 22, 2015

For those
hoping to engage in The Age of the Spirit byPhyllis Tickle and Jon Sweeney with a desire to obtain a deeper
understanding of the Holy Spirit, you may come away disappointed and left with
as many questions as when you began reading. The Spirit is shrouded in mystery
and it is with humility and compassion that the authors guide the reader to be content
with this ancient conundrum. As declared by the book’s subtitle, the reader
will walk away with a deeper understanding of “How the Ghost of an Ancient Controversy is Shaping the Church”. For
if the Church is truly moving into a new era; The Age of the Spirit, is it not
even more imperative that the Body of Christ have a more firm grasp on the
Trinity and the Spirit’s place within? Have we reached a crossroads in history
where we can no longer remain content with unanswered questions?

As Dylan so
prophetically declared to the past generation, “The Times they are a Changin”, Tickle now declares change
for a generation of Christians just as frustrated, confused and in search of
answers. Understanding cultural change is difficult to comprehend when staring
in a mirror. One often has to look behind at the historical vehicles that have
transported to a particular point in time. By carefully reflecting on the
historical ups and downs that have occurred within the Church, Tickle helps the reader understand that the mysteries enveloping the third
person of the Trinity are no different for those who sought solutions over 2000
years ago. They make it very clear from the beginning that in order to
understand where we are, we have to have a firm grasp and understanding on
where we’ve been, who we’ve been and how we’ve arrived where we are today.
Ironically, before we begin to look ahead, we must first look behind. It is
with this logic that the authors build the structure of The Age of the Spirit with historical
clarity and simplicity.

From the apparent
subtle changing of words within the Nicene Creed (see below) in 689 CE that led
to the spark of the Great Schism, to the birth of Pentecostalism on Azuza
Street in 1906, Tickle illustrates how the differences of interpretation and
understanding of the Holy Spirit can cause division that, at times in history,
have seemed almost irreparable, but also create unstoppable movements that
change the very fabric of who we are as Christians. Whether intentional or not,
she paints a historical illustration that makes clear why we see so much division
within the Church today, and how we struggle with the same issues.

“Filoque”, the
Latin word for “and from the Son”, is
as Patrick Leigh Fermor is quoted as saying, the “tintack which split Chistendom”. How could such a seemingly
insignificant altering of words create such chaos that could possibly be the
main contributor to our confusion over the Holy Spirit’s place within the
three-in-one Godhead? Could this re-wording of an ancient creed in 689 be the
cause of heresy, theological division, political upheaval and even the birth of
new religions? Has the struggle come down to the simple issue of as Tickle sees
as “One-God-in-Three-Parts and the
impenetrable question of Spirit: what it was, what it was in devine
relationship, what it was in function, how it was to be known – Separately? En
masse? How?”

It is with reading
the The Age of the Spirit, that the
reader will be forced to re-examine the mysterious third Person of the Trinity
and ask ourselves who the Spirit is, what the Spirit is, and what place does
the Spirit have within the Trinity and the Church itself? Tickle makes
it clear that if we are in fact moving into a new age within the Church, and
witnessing a movement of “religionless
Christianity”, the mysteries of the Holy Spirit must be wrestled with. For at no other time in history have we
confronted the reality that God is not “out there” waiting to be found, but rather
supernaturally among us, living and breathing.

No longer does the Church need to rely only on hierarchical authority,
historical forefathers, political structures or even scripture to face the
mysteries of the Spirit. In fact, Tickle has reminded us that the
Spirit is wanting to be known. So it
is with joy and excitement that the Body of Christ begins the process of discerning,
critiquing and understanding the Spirit’s movement within. We must embrace the
Spirit, wrestle with the Spirit, put our arm around the Spirit and walk with
confidence into what the future holds. The
Age of the Spirit could very well be the catalyst for the future. Tickle
and Sweeney have opened the proverbial dust covered chest in the closet to
reveal the treasure that has been waiting to be discovered.

The Nicene Creed

We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven:
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary,
and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the
giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
With the Father and the Son
he is worshiped and glorified.
He has spoken through the Prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. AMEN.